The chief of the Hellenic National Defense General Staff (GEETHA), Konstantinos Floros, stressed that the Greek armed forces were prepared to defend the country’s territorial integrity and sovereign rights against any threat.
He also described Turkey as a “destabilizing factor,” adding that it poses a threat to Greece and the status quo in the Eastern Mediterranean.
Greece’s military chief said that states in the Eastern Mediterranean region ought to “cooperate in a framework of peace and security and pursue the well-being of their citizens.”
On July 13, the French Foreign Ministry issued a statement saying that the European Union is united to support both Cyprus and Greece in facing Turkey’s policies in the Mediterranean.
In a speech to the Foreign Affairs Committee of the European Parliament, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas stressed that Turkey’s behavior at the regional level was unacceptable.
Maas’s comments came after a meeting in Brussels of foreign ministers of European Union member states to discuss strained relations with Turkey.
He said that Turkey’s unilateral actions in the Mediterranean were contrary to the sovereignty of states, adding that “we called on Turkey to participate actively to reach a political solution in Libya.”
Maas reminded his colleagues during the meeting that the European Union’s relations with Turkey are tense due to its “actions in the Eastern Mediterranean and Libya”.